220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A technician needs to boot a Windows 10 computer from a bootable USB flash drive to run a system recovery tool. Which key is most commonly used to access the boot menu on a typical PC?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse the key to enter the BIOS setup (F2) with the key to access the one-time boot menu (F12), leading them to select F2 when the question specifically asks for the boot menu key.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
F12
The F12 key is the most common key used to access the boot menu on typical PCs, allowing the technician to select the bootable USB flash drive without entering the BIOS/UEFI setup. This is a one-time boot override feature, which is ideal for running a system recovery tool without permanently changing the boot order. Other keys like F2 are typically used to enter the BIOS/UEFI setup utility, not the boot menu.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
F2
Why it's wrong here
Pressing F2 during POST typically opens the UEFI/BIOS firmware setup utility rather than a one-time boot device list. To boot from USB you would have to manually change the boot order in firmware settings and save/restart, which is slower and alters your normal boot sequence. Therefore F2 is not the direct boot menu key.
- ✓
F12
Why this is correct
F12 is a widely standardized UEFI/BIOS hotkey that invokes the boot device selection menu during power-on self-test. On systems such as Dell and Lenovo, pressing F12 displays a list of available boot sources—like the USB flash drive, internal SSD, and network—and allows a one-time override without changing the default boot order. This makes F12 the correct key for booting Windows 10 from a bootable USB.
- ✗
Delete
Why it's wrong here
The Delete key (or Del) is most often the UEFI/BIOS setup key on desktop motherboards, commonly seen on ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte boards. It enters firmware configuration menus (tweaking settings, enabling virtualization, changing boot order), not a temporary boot override. If your goal is simply to select a USB drive once, Delete is not the correct key because it does not pop up a boot device picker.
- ✗
F8
Why it's wrong here
F8 is historically associated with Windows Advanced Boot Options (Safe Mode, Last Known Good, etc.), but even in legacy Windows 7 this is an OS-level menu, not firmware-level boot device selection. In Windows 10, the F8 boot menu is disabled by default because modern UEFI systems boot too quickly; enabling it requires 'bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy' and even then it only lists Windows options, not a USB drive. Thus F8 cannot display a one-time bootable USB selection.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
PXE Boot and Windows Deployment Services
Key term
Recovery
Recovery is the process of restoring systems, data, and operations after a security incident, failure, or disaster to return to normal functioning.
Key term
Windows
Windows is a family of operating systems developed by Microsoft that manages computer hardware and software, providing a graphical user interface for users to interact with their devices.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on 220-1102
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A technician needs to configure a Windows 10 computer to boot from a USB drive to run a diagnostic tool. Which key is typically pressed during POST to access the boot menu?
medium- A.F1
- B.F2
- ✓ C.F12
- D.Delete
Why C: The F12 key is the standard key used by most PC manufacturers to access the boot menu during POST, allowing the technician to select a USB drive as the boot device without changing the permanent boot order in BIOS/UEFI. This is the correct choice for booting from a USB drive to run a diagnostic tool.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1102 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1102 exam.